U.S. Privacy And World Privacy News

Phone firms denying US military requests for data about vulnerabilities

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/phone-firms-denying-us-military-requests-security-data-letter-says-2024-12-04/

At least 8 U.S. telecom firms were hit by China’s hacking campaign

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/at-least-8-u-s-telecom-firms-were-hit-by-chinese-hacking-campaign-white-house-says

Business Leaders Among Israeli-Made Pegasus Spyware Victims

https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/04/business-leaders-among-pegasus-spyware-victims-says-security-firm/

A New Phone Scanner That Detects Spyware Has Already Found 7 Pegasus Infections

https://www.wired.com/story/iverify-spyware-detection-tool-nso-group-pegasus/

Documents Contradict Google’s Claims About Its Project Nimbus Contract With Israel

https://theintercept.com/2024/12/02/google-project-nimbus-ai-israel/

Top 12 US Billionaires Now Control $2 Trillion in Wealth

https://www.commondreams.org/news/billionaires-2-trillion-wealth

Watchdogs Say World's Richest Man Elon Musk Has 'Declared War on Social Security'

https://www.commondreams.org/news/elon-musk-social-security

Trump Nominee Billy Long Pressured IRS To Crush The Humane Society

https://www.levernews.com/trump-nominee-pressured-irs-to-crush-the-humane-society/

Today’s Double Feature: Privacy and Free Speech

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/11/todays-double-feature-privacy-and-free-speech

Trump’s FBI director pick Kash Patel: A clear and present danger to freedom of the press

https://www.thefire.org/news/blogs/ronald-kl-collins-first-amendment-news/trumps-fbi-director-pick-kash-patel-clear-and

Podcast: Trump Administration Attacks on Free Speech Are Already Ramping Up

https://theintercept.com/2024/12/06/intercept-briefing-podcast-free-speech-nonprofits-tax-exempt/

GOP FTC Commissioners Abuse “Free Speech” Rhetoric To Push For Government Control Over Online Speech

https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/06/gop-ftc-commissioners-abuse-free-speech-rhetoric-to-push-for-government-control-over-online-speech/

Riot Games (Owned by China) Expands its ToS, Enabling Bans for Vague "0ff-Platform Conduct"

https://reclaimthenet.org/riot-games-updates-tos-off-platform-conduct-rules-valorant-league-of-legends

Politico Sued Over Privacy Violations

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/class-action/politico-gannett-nexstar-sued-for-using-online-tracking-tools

FPF Launches New Privacy-Enhancing Technologies Repository

https://fpf.org/blog/fpf-launches-new-privacy-enhancing-technologies-repository/

https://fpf.org/global/repository-for-privacy-enhancing-technologies-pets/

Landlords Are Using AI To Raise Rents — and Cities Are Starting To Push Back

“In the simplest terms, what this platform (RealPage) is doing is providing what we think of as that dark, smoky room for big companies to get together and set prices,” he said. “The technology is being used as a way of keeping an arm’s length from one big company to the other. But that’s an illusion,” San Diego council president, Sean Elo-Rivera said.

https://themarkup.org/locked-out/2024/12/02/landlords-are-using-ai-to-raise-rents-and-cities-are-starting-to-push-back

Palantir Granted FedRAMP High Baseline Authorization

https://investors.palantir.com/news-details/2024/Palantir-Granted-FedRAMP-High-Baseline-Authorization/

Keeping Your Personal Data Safe in the Age of Trump

https://www.wired.com/story/politics-lab-keeping-your-personal-data-safe/

PRIVACY WARNING: Experian Acquires Audigent, Combining Massive Amounts Of Data About Consumers

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204259811/en/Experian-Accelerates-Identity-and-Activation-Capabilities-With-Acquisition-of-Audigent

The perils of using payment apps as your bank account

https://www.vox.com/technology/373886/cash-app-venmo-chime-account-protection-fdic

AI, huge hacks leave consumers facing perfect storm of privacy perils

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/12/03/privacy-hackers-cfpb-data-brokers/

Why does the name ‘David Mayer’ crash ChatGPT? Digital privacy requests may be at fault

https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/02/why-does-the-name-david-mayer-crash-chatgpt-digital-privacy-requests-may-be-at-fault/

A Stanford University professor and "misinformation expert" used ChatGPT to file erroneous claims in court

https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/12/02/misinformation-expert-used-ai-to-draft-testimony-containing-misinformation-about-ai/

https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/stanford-expert-gpt-minnesota-deepfakes-19954595.php

The future of customer service (AI) is here, and it's making customers miserable

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/future-customer-making-customers-miserable-092701045.html

Scammers use fake QR codes on parking meters to cash in

https://www.candgnews.com/news/scammers-use-bogus-qr-codes-on-parking-meters-to-cash-in-7080

SCOTUS Asks DOJ To Weigh In On Fight Over Music Downloads

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-asks-justice-departments-views-cox-communications-case-2024-11-25/

Appeals Court Upheld TikTok Ban

https://www.wired.com/story/doj-tiktok-constitutional-lawsuit/

One Down, Many to Go with Pre-Installed Malware on Android

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/11/one-down-many-go-pre-installed-malware-android

Why It Feels Like Your Phone Is Listening to You

https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/terms-of-service-with-clare-duffy/episodes/9f25f50c-96cf-11ef-aa1b-2f5b86b83293

Location Tracking Tools Endanger Abortion Access. Lawmakers Must Act Now

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/12/location-tracking-tools-endanger-abortion-access-lawmakers-must-act-now

Are You Being Tracked by an Apple AirTag? Here’s How to Check

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-find-airtags/

Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices

https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-accused-silencing-workers-spying-personal-devices-2024-12-02/

Veridas launches ID verification platform on Google Cloud Marketplace

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125439016/en/Veridas-launches-identity-fraud-solutions-on-Google-Cloud-Marketplace

Six password takeaways from the updated NIST cybersecurity framework

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/six-password-takeaways-from-the-updated-nist-cybersecurity-framework/

The search startup (Exa) trying to turn the web into a database

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/03/1107726/the-startup-trying-to-turn-the-web-into-a-database/
https://exa.ai/websets

Should You Let Your Car Insurance Track Your Driving For Cheaper Rates?
Short Answer: No unless you want Big Brother to spy on your every move, just to save some cash.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/car-insurance-smart-driving-rates_l_674de1f4e4b0d426caf11b71

‘Self-driving’ Tesla blasts through stop sign, sparks one of Oregon’s 1st autonomous-driving lawsuits

https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2024/11/self-driving-tesla-blasts-through-stop-sign-sparks-one-of-oregons-1st-autonomous-driving-lawsuits.html

Black Friday Zipcar Outage Stranded Customers in Random Places

https://www.404media.co/a-total-meltdown-black-friday-zipcar-outage-strands-customers-in-random-places/

Geico and Travelers Fined $11M Over Data Breaches

https://nationalcioreview.com/articles-insights/extra-bytes/geico-and-travelers-fined-11m-for-security-failures-leading-to-data-breaches/

DC attorney general sues Amazon for excluding neighborhoods from Prime delivery

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/amazon-sued-by-dc-ag-over-excluding-areas-from-prime-delivery.html

600k background checks leaked from publicly accessible database

https://www.websiteplanet.com/news/propertyrecs-breach-report/

EPIC Welcomes CFPB’s Proposed Rules to Rein in Reckless Data Brokers, Protect Privacy & Security

https://epic.org/epic-welcomes-cfpbs-proposed-rules-to-rein-in-reckless-data-brokers-protect-privacy-security/

CFPB proposes new rule blocking data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive personal data

https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/03/us-agency-proposes-new-rule-blocking-data-brokers-from-selling-americans-sensitive-personal-data/

The Great Scrape: The Clash Between Scraping and Privacy

"Organizations are scraping at an escalating pace and scale, even though many privacy laws are seemingly incongruous with the practice. In this Article, we contend that scraping must undergo a serious reckoning with privacy law. Scraping violates nearly all of the key principles in privacy laws, including fairness; individual rights and control; transparency; consent; purpose specification and secondary use restrictions; data minimization; onward transfer; and data security. With scraping, data protection laws built around these requirements are ignored."

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4884485

FTC Bans Location Data Company That Powers the Surveillance Ecosystem

https://www.404media.co/ftc-bans-location-data-company-that-powers-the-surveillance-ecosystem/

Podcast: 2024 brought ‘novel innovations’ in data privacy law

Privatized Medicare Rips Off Taxpayers and Denies Care to Seniors

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/privatized-medicare-rips-off-taxpayers-and-denies-care-to-seniors

Disappointing vote could mean higher prices for prescription drugs

https://pirg.org/updates/disappointing-vote-could-mean-higher-prices-for-prescription-drugs/

A Popular Asthma Drug May Be Causing Brain Damage

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-finds-widely-used-asthma-drug-impacts-brain-2024-11-22/

CVS Removes Executives' Photos From Website Amid Industry Security Concerns

https://nypost.com/2024/12/06/us-news/cvs-removes-photos-of-executives-from-its-website-in-wake-of-unitedhealthcare-ceos-assassination/

Atrium Health finally apologizes for data breach that occurred 4 1/2 years before the pandemic

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article296430584.html

NY Doctor Charged for Receiving Kickbacks

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/new-york-doctor-charged-receiving-kickbacks

Mount Nittany Health to pay customers $1.8M for data breach

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mount-nittany-looks-to-settle-lawsuit-for-18-million/ar-AA1vhS83

HHS fined Children’s Hospital Colorado $548K for data breach

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/childrens-hospital-colorado-npd/index.html

Atrium Health Data Breach affected 600K people

https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/consumer/atrium-health-data-breach-apology/275-b1753ae6-81bf-4e83-bceb-fcc05d4e951e

Chemonics International Data Breach affected 260K people

https://therecord.media/chemonics-data-breach-usaid-contractor

State & Local Privacy News

States’ privacy is a ‘continual conversation’ amid AI growth, officials say

https://www.route-fifty.com/digital-government/2024/12/states-privacy-continual-conversation-amid-ai-growth-officials-say/401387/

VT- Fallout From Ruling On Unauthorized Vaccinations In Public Schools

https://brownstone.org/articles/fallout-from-vermont-ruling-on-unauthorized-vaccinations/

ME- Northern Light Health’s Eastern Maine Medical Center backs down from defamation threat over teen’s criticism

https://www.thefire.org/news/victory-maine-hospital-backs-down-defamation-threat-over-teens-criticism

NH- How Free Is New Hampshire? A Fight Over Doughnuts Is About to Decide

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/first-amendment-free-speech-new-hampshire-bakery-21a76578

MA- State working to identify cops who circumvented mandatory in-service training

https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-police-officers-circumvented-mandatory-in-service-training/62948096

MA- National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil are Deploying ‘Smart’ Electric Meters' Across the State

https://substack.com/home/post/p-152595105

CT- Meriden police among first in state to use AI to write reports

https://www.ctinsider.com/recordjournal/article/meriden-police-ai-virtual-reality-19956576.php

VA- Lawmakers allegedly consider regulating police license plate readers

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/12/orange-council-approves-additional-services-for-police-department.html

AL- Senator refiles bill to make police body cams, dashboard footage public records

https://alabamareflector.com/2024/12/05/alabama-senator-refiles-bill-to-make-body-cameras-dashboard-footage-public-records/

FL- HOA Tows Cars With Expired Tags Out Of Private Driveways

https://jalopnik.com/hoa-tows-cars-with-expired-tags-out-of-private-driveway-1851707691

OH- Supreme Court declines to stay order that invalidated public records policy

https://www.courthousenews.com/ohio-supreme-court-declines-to-stay-order-that-invalidated-public-records-policy/

OH- Orange Village police to purchase 3 Motorola license plate readers

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/12/orange-council-approves-additional-services-for-police-department.html

MI- EPIC Testifies in Support of the State's Personal Data Privacy Act

https://epic.org/epic-testifies-in-support-of-michigan-personal-data-privacy-act/

IL- Hanover Police Selectively Enforce Underage Drinking Laws Against Dartmouth Students

https://reason.com/2024/11/26/hanover-police-selectively-enforce-underage-drinking-laws-against-dartmouth-students/

IL- Residents win go-ahead for privacy claims against Google

https://www.courthousenews.com/illinois-residents-win-go-ahead-for-privacy-claims-against-google/

ID- State's abortion trafficking law partly revived by appeals court

https://www.reuters.com/legal/idaho-abortion-trafficking-law-partly-revived-by-us-appeals-court-2024-12-02/

WI- Appeals court reinstates law limiting attorney general’s power over settling major lawsuits

https://www.courthousenews.com/wisconsin-appeals-court-reinstates-law-limiting-attorney-generals-power-over-settling-major-lawsuits/

CO- Denver police scan 2M license plates every month

https://denverite.com/2024/09/19/denver-flock-license-plate-scanners-update/

TX- Governor threatens children’s hospital funding after doctor slams immigration question on patient form

https://www.wideopencountry.com/texas-governor-threatens-to-defund-children-hospital-over-viral-video/

AZ- State law requiring disclosure of ‘dark money’ is constitutional

https://azmirror.com/briefs/court-of-appeals-arizonas-law-requiring-disclosure-or-dark-money-is-constitutional/

AZ- Health Care Providers File Lawsuit Challenging Abortion Ban

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/arizona-health-care-providers-file-lawsuit-challenging-abortion-ban-and-to-resume-providing-care-across-the-state

AZ- Phoenix police want $22M to purchase new tasers

https://www.azfamily.com/2024/12/05/phoenix-police-closer-getting-22-million-new-stun-guns/

CA- Advocates Blast Governor Newsom for Fighting Solitary Confinement Reform

https://theappeal.org/gavin-newsom-for-fighting-solitary-confinement-reform/

CA- Yelp urges appeals court to revive suit against AG Newsom over crisis pregnancy center labeling

https://www.courthousenews.com/yelp-urges-ninth-circuit-to-revive-suit-against-texas-ag-over-crisis-pregnancy-center-labeling/

CA- UCLA official put Jewish applicants on ‘no hire list

https://www.campusreform.org/article/ucla-student-files-petition-cultural-affairs-commissioner-allegedly-warned-hiring-zionists/26932

CA- Palo Alto police to expand network of Flock Safety license plate readers to 30

https://sanjosespotlight.com/palo-alto-set-to-expand-its-network-of-license-plate-cameras/

CA- Trump Wants Even Looser AI Guardrails. Why Lawmakers Might Not Push Back

https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2024/11/21/trump-wants-even-looser-ai-guardrails-why-california-despite-passing-over-20-ai-bills-this-year-might-not-push-back

WA -Washington State Office FINALLY begins tracking statewide deadly use of force incidents

https://www.everettpost.com/state-news/washington-office-begins-tracking-statewide-deadly-use-of-force-incidents

WA- Meta faces $35M judgment for campaign finance violations

https://www.courthousenews.com/meta-faces-35m-judgment-for-campaign-finance-violations-in-washington-state/

World Privacy News

World Foundation Expands Its World ID Passport Credential Program

https://world.org/blog/announcements/new-world-id-passport-credential-launches-access-wld-tokens

EU Commission Proposes Six-month Timeline for Phased Facial Recognition Entry-Exit System eGate Rollout

https://www.thelocal.com/20241206/latest-eu-agrees-to-phase-in-ees-biometric-passport-checks-over-6-months

IrisGuard and MODEE Jordan Launch ‘Identity Without Borders’

https://ffnews.com/newsarticle/fintech/identity-without-borders-with-irisguards-digital-id-activation/

BS WARNING: Horizon Europe-funded Odysseus and FlexiCross claim government's can create ethical AI at the border

From the UK to Germany to Singapore: Police are watching what you post

https://www.thefire.org/news/blogs/free-speech-dispatch/uk-germany-singapore-police-are-watching-what-you-post

World Leaders Sign New Censorship Declaration at UN Event

https://reclaimthenet.org/un-cascais-declaration-censorship-global-forum

Russia- Government puts 314 Ukrainian children into systemic coerced adoptions

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/03/nx-s1-5214546/ukraine-children-russia-putin

Russia- Programmer says FSB agents planted spyware on his Android phone

https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/05/russian-programmer-says-fsb-agents-planted-spyware-on-his-android-phone/

Georgia- Authorities must respect the right to peaceful assembly following dismantling of protesters’ camp

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/11/georgia-authorities-must-respect-the-right-to-peaceful-assembly-following-dismantling-of-protesters-camp/

Georgia- Police arrest dozens of demonstrators during ninth day of pro-EU protests

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241207-dozens-arrested-in-overnight-crackdown-on-georgia-pro-eu-protests

Georgia- Protesters face arrests, abuse, and denial of fair trial rights

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/georgia-protesters-face-arrests-abuse-and-denial-of-fair-trial-rights/

Poland- Police arrest former spy chief in Pegasus spyware probe
https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/02/poland-arrests-former-spy-chief-in-pegasus-spyware-probe/

Italy- Police arrest four over alleged illegal database access

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-police-arrest-four-over-alleged-illegal-database-access-source-says-2024-10-26/

UK- Israeli Army Chief Visited Government After ICC Warrants

https://consortiumnews.com/2024/12/05/israeli-army-chief-visited-britain-after-icc-warrants/

https://www.declassifieduk.org/israeli-army-chief-visited-britain-this-week-uk-confirms/

UK- MPs ignore concerned constituents questions about facial recognition

https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5476/uk-mps-ignore-concerned-constituents-questions-about-facial-recognition-technology

UK- Non-Crime Hate Incidents Should Be Abolished

We should abolish "Non-Crime Hate Incidents"

https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/non-crime-hate-incidents/

UK- First Amendment Blues

https://brownstone.org/articles/first-amendment-blues/

UK- Home Office guidance allows police to reveal identity of online stalkers

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/victims-to-be-given-more-protection-in-stalking-crackdown

UK- Non smoker fined £75 for dropping cigarette in town she says she’s never been to

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/i-was-fined-for-dropping-a-cigarette-in-a-town-i-ve-never-b-316541/

UK- Police forces quietly withdraw from X platform amid content concerns

https://www.reuters.com/technology/uk-police-forces-quietly-withdraw-x-platform-amid-content-concerns-2024-11-26/

UK- Yoti Introduces Digital Student IDs

https://www.yoti.com/blog/verified-student-id-on-your-phone/

UK- Supermarket Loyalty Schemes Offer ‘Genuine Savings,’ Says CMA, Amid Data Privacy Concerns

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/nov/27/supermarket-loyalty-cards-genuine-savings-watchdog

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/groceries-loyalty-prices-offer-genuine-savings-says-cma

Head of Oceania for Banking says global banks want Pacific Island countries to create national digital ID programs

https://dailystraits.com/2024/11/27/digital-identity-for-inclusion/

Japan- Government Phases Out Health Insurance Cards, Replaces Them With National Digital IDs

https://japantoday.com/category/national/Health-insurance-cards-to-no-longer-be-issued-as-info-will-be-integrated-with-My-Number-cards

Hong Kong- Mass sentencing of opposition figures highlights dire state of justice system

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/11/hong-kong-mass-sentencing-of-opposition-figures-highlights-dire-state-of-justice-system/

Cambodia- Reporters Without Borders demands accountability for killing of environmental journalist

https://rsf.org/en/cambodia-rsf-appalled-murder-environmental-journalist-chhoeung-chheng

South Korea- President Declares Emergency Martial Law

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/03/asia/south-korea-martial-law-intl/index.html

President says he will lift martial law after lawmakers vote to reject his move

https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-997c22ac93f6a9bece68454597e577c1

South Korea- Government to launch national digital ID program in December

http://koreabizwire.com/south-korea-to-launch-mobile-resident-registration-cards-in-december/298752

China- Facial recognition pioneer SenseTime pivots to GenAI

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3289293/chinese-facial-recognition-pioneer-sensetime-pivots-genai-business-revamp

India- Wildlife monitoring technologies used to intimidate and spy on women

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-wildlife-technologies-intimidate-spy-women.html

Pakistan- Authorities Accused of Trying to Cover Up Killings of Protesters

https://www.commondreams.org/news/pakistan-protests

Pakistan- Rights Groups Alarmed by Arrest of Journalist Matiullah Jan

https://www.commondreams.org/news/matiullah-jan

Egypt- Global rights groups demand government lift ban on human rights defenders

https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/egypt-lift-punitive-measures-against-eipr-staff/

Angola- No justice for years of police violence that left people dead, wounded and traumatized

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/11/angola-no-justice-for-years-of-police-violence-that-left-people-dead-wounded-and-traumatized/

Morocco- Worldbank gives government $70M to create digital ID for social services program

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/12/04/world-bank-greenlights-70m-boost-for-morocco-s-innovative-social-protection-delivery-systems

AU- A social media ban for under-16s passes the Senate and will soon be a world-first law

https://apnews.com/article/australia-social-media-children-ban-safeguarding-harm-accounts-d0cde2603bdbc7167801da1d00ecd056

Foodstuffs study in AU and NZ claims facial recognition reduces serious harm in supermarkets by 16 percent

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/535818/facial-recognition-technology-reduces-serious-harm-in-supermarkets-by-16-percent-study

Foodstuffs facial recognition banned innocent woman from store

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/rotorua-woman-fights-facial-recognition-tech-after-wrongful-supermarket-trespass/GGK7BYBC7RBLHB2MK2SOJD6UFQ/

Canada- Abuse, Bias Against Immigration Detainees with Disabilities

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/03/canada-abuse-bias-against-immigration-detainees-disabilities

Haiti- Gang-related child soldier recruitment surges by 70 percent

https://apnews.com/article/haiti-gangs-child-recruitment-violence-ca5e78661185d36f3a94e774018a1dae

Panama- Worldcoin to use facial recognition to ID citizens

https://coinedition.com/worldcoin-wld-price-dips-despite-panama-expansion-news/

Nicaragua- UN alarmed by constitutional amendment granting president ‘virtually unlimited’ power

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/nicaragua-un-group-experts-alarmed-far-reaching-change-constitution?sub-site=HRC

Argentina- The Club Atlético River Plate to sue Veridas facial recognition to ID fans

https://veridas.com/en/success-stories/river-plate-veridas-stadium-access-biometric-technology/

Argentina- Government passes facial recognition and age verification for gambling law

https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2024/11/26/86588-argentina-law-on-online-gaming-and-problem-gambling-likely-to-be-approved-this-week-in-the-chamber-of-deputies

https://gamblingindustrynews.com/news/regulation/argentina-to-ban-betting-ads/